The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-11-12

"Let's tell ghost stories, then," said Gladys.
 "Aren't you tired of them? One hears nothing else nowadays. And they're all 'authentic,' really vouched for, only you never see the person who saw or heard or felt the ghost. It is always somebody's sister or cousin, or friends friend," objected young Mrs. Snowdon, another of the guests at The Quarries.
 "I don't know that that is quite a reasonable ground for discrediting them en mdSSe," said her husband. "It IS natural enough, indeed inevitable, that the principal or principals in such cases should be much more rarely come across than the stories them selves. A hundred people can repeat the story, but the author, or rather hero, of it can't be in "a hundred places at once. You don't disbelieve in any other statement or narrative merely because you have never seen the prime mover in it?"
 "But didn't say discredited them on that account" said Mrs. Snowdon. ADN tonN OiiC u SO, LAICHIt. I'll nOJ logical and reasonable-l don't pre- tend to be. If I meant anything, it was that a ghost story would have a great pull over other ghost stories if one could see the person it happened to, One does get rather provoked at never coming across him or her," she added, little petulantly.
 Sho x.,o, firoJ IT ..s a. tired, for it was the first evening since the party had assembled at the large country house known as "The Quar- ries," on which there was not to be dancing, with the additional fatigue of "ten miles there and ten back again" and three or four evenings of such doings without intermission tell, even on the young and vigorous.
 Tonight various less energetic ways of passing the evening had been pro- posed. Music, games, reading aloud, recitation-none had found favor in every body's sight, and now Gladys Lloyd's proposal that they should tell "ghost stories" seemed likely to fall flat also.
 
 Mrs. Snowdon's last remarks. Then, somewhat to everybody's surprise, the young daughter of the house turned to her mother.
 "Mamma, she said, "don't be veXed with mel know you warned me once to be careful how l spoke of it; but wouldn't it be nice if Uncle Paul would tell us his ghost story? And then, Mrs. Snowdon," she went on, "you could always say you had heard one ghost story at or from-which should say?-headquarters."
 Lady Denholme glanced round half nervously before she replied.
 "Locally speaking, it would not be at headquarters, Nina," she said. "The Quarries was not the scene of your uncle's ghost story. But I almost think it is better not to speak about it Il am not sure that he would like it mentioned, and he will be coming in a moment, He had only a note to write."
 "I do wish he would tell it to us, said Nina regretfully. "Don't you think, mamma, might just run tc the study and ask him, and if he di6 not like the idea he might say so tc me, and no one would seem to know anything about it? Uncle Paul is SC kind, Pm never afraid of asking hin any favor"
 "Thank you, Nina, for your goot opinion of me; you see there is nc rule without exceptions; listeners dt sometimes hear pleasant things O themselves" said Mir. Marischal, as h, at that moment came round the screel which half concealed the doorway "What is the special favor you wer thinking of asking me?"
 Nina looked rather taken aback.
 "How softly you opened the door Uncle Paul." she said. "I would no have spoken of you if I had know you were there."
 "But, after all, you were saying n, harm," observed her brother Michael "And for my part don't believe Un cle Paul would mind our asking hin what we were speaking of"
 "What was it?" asked MT. Mari schal. "I think, as have heard 8 much, you may as well tell me tn
 "It was only" began Nina, but he mother interrupted her.